What is the glory of God?
Without a doubt, every sunrise reminds us of the miracles of God. As the darkness is permeated by the light, dawn occurs. While this is something that we have come to expect and even take for granted, the FACT:
THAT DAYLIGHT COMES &
THAT THE SUN PIERCES THE DARK—
PRODUCES AN OVERWHELMING AWARENESS OF GOD—DAY-AFTER-DAY!
Yesterday morning as I headed west on the parkway, a glimpse of dawn appeared behind me. As we drive, our front windshields provide a clear view of what lies ahead, but as I drove toward school yesterday, the magnificent display of God performed behind me.
While tending his father’s sheep, the psalmist David must have experienced the same sight when he wrote:
“The heavens
(The Psalms 19: 1-2 NASB)
are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse
is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day
pours forth speech,
And night to night
reveals knowledge.”
- If a person wishes to see God, he only needs to see the heavens.
- If a person desires to know God, he only needs to look up toward the sky.
- If a person wants to see God’s glory, he only needs to see the work of God’s hands.
If you have lived more than a day, then you have seen the glory of God, but maybe a skeptic might ask: Where have we seen God’s glory OR How have we experienced God’s presence?
The Greeks during the early century asked those questions.
“Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast;
(The Gospel According to John 12: 20-26 NASB)
[this occurred in the days leading up to the Passover festival]
these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee,
and began to ask him, saying,
“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Philip came and told Andrew;
Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus.
And Jesus answered them, saying,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth
and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
He who loves his life loses it,
and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me;
and where I am, there My servant will be also;
if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”
Prior to the crucifixion of Jesus, some sought to take his life, while others sought the comfort found within His presence. Jesus knew their intent, everyone’s. Jesus also knew: “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”
- Jesus—God in the flesh—came to earth, to dwell among us.
- Jesus—the Son of God—came to die, to make the way for humanity to know God.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone;
but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
- Our Father God knows we cannot love our current life and love Him!
- Our Father God knows we must willingly lose our earthly life to seek eternal life found in Him!
- Our Father God knows we must serve and follow Jesus, for as we do—We Will See God!
Have you ever had a breathtaking personal experience of God’s presence and glory?
Yesterday morning was such a time.
The grey westernmost sky faced me as I drove across the parkway, while behind me, the red hues filled the billowy clouds as the sun illuminated the sky. Truly, I cannot express in mere words what GOD DISPLAYED BEHIND ME, but I remember thinking: ‘I cannot keep from looking to see what God is doing.’
I wished to turn my Subaru and head east so I could drive into this glorious sight; however, even though I had classes to teach and miles to travel, I knew that I had to travel west. Amazingly, the LORD was busy magnifying the sky and filling my rearview mirror with HIS SPECTACULAR GLORY as the psalmist words came to my mind.
“The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” (The Psalms 19: 1 NASB)
Have you ever had a breathtaking personal experience of God’s presence and glory, one that had a transforming effect on your life?
The further west I drove, and the more the LORD filled the eastern sky displayed behind me, I found myself worshiping and praising my Savior Jesus.
As a follower of Jesus, as a redeemed child of God, we have a glorious responsibility, one that fills us fully. We are to live as His disciple. Period.
Our task truly is quite simple.
- Consider how Holy God, the One who fills the dawn’s sky with His glorious daybreak, day-after-day also calls us to come to Him.
- Consider also how Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son, beckons us to come to know Him, to be saved for all eternity.
- Consider how the Son of God calls us to follow Him in complete obedience.
- Consider also how the Morning Star, the Son of man & the Son of God, will be there—present in heaven.
- Consider how in heaven, every child of God, will never need the dawning sunlight ever again—
FOR JESUS, THE LAMB of GOD, WILL BE PRESENT—& GOD’S GLORY WILL BE PRESENT THERE FOREVERMORE!
What is the glory of God?
- The answer truly is quite perfect.
- Let us look toward heaven. & Let us look up to the sky’s expanse.
- Let us see God! & Let us see our Savior!
“And the twelve gates were twelve pearls;
(The Revelation to John 21: 21-23 NASB)
each one of the gates was a single pearl.
And the street of the city was pure gold,
like transparent glass.
I saw no temple in it,
for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it,
for the glory of God has illumined it,
and its lamp is the Lamb.”